Human-approved peanut butter banana dog treats

It's National Dog Month and Thursday is National Dog Day. My puppy, Dill Pickle, is the light of my life, so I wanted to do something special to celebrate. Peanut butter is definitely her favorite food, and coincidentally, it's also one of my favorite foods. So I developed a cookie recipe we can BOTH enjoy. 

There are two recipes below, but it's actually the same recipe with different directions. One recipe is for a cut-out cookie, and the other recipe is for a thumbprint cookie. I did that because I thought some people may be hesitant to eat a cookie in the shape of a bone.

It was important to me that this recipe didn't contain dairy, added sugar, added salt, gluten, or leavening agents because those ingredients may upset dogs' stomachs. Even though the recipe only contains oats, peanut butter, and banana, it comes together into a dough surprisingly well, and it rolls out beautifully. If those three ingredients just aren't doing it for you, you can try adding any or all of the following ingredients: 1 Tablespoon molasses, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon salt, or 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract.

A couple of other things I want to point out: make sure there is no xylitol in your peanut butter. Use the peanut butter that is just peanuts—nothing else. Also, it is very important that the sugar-free jam you use for the thumbprint cookies doesn't have artificial sweeteners. Sweeteners like Splenda are toxic to dogs. I couldn't find any sugar-free, unsweetened jam, so I made my own. The recipe is below the cookie recipes.

I am not a veterinarian, so if you have concerns, I suggest speaking with your vet before intorducing new foods into your dog's diet.

Peanut butter and banana dog treats

Yield: Makes about 2 dozen treats (depending on size of cookie cutter)

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup (100 grams) gluten-free oats (rolled oats or quick oats)
• 1 ripe banana (140 grams)
• 3/4 cup (198 grams) peanut butter (sugar free, no xylitol)
• Optional ingredients: 1 Tablespoon molasses, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Place oats in food processor and blend until it resembles coarse flour
3. Add banana and peanut butter to food processor and blend until it forms a cohesive dough
4. Roll dough out to 0.25-inch thickness
5. Use bone cookie cutter (or any other cookie cutter) to cut shapes into dough
6. Place shapes on lined cookie sheet and bake 18-20 minutes, or until cookies turn golden brown
7. Allow to cool completely before serving to your dog

Peanut butter and banana thumbprint cookies

Yield: Makes about 2 dozen cookies

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cup (100 grams) gluten-free oats (rolled oats or quick oats)
• 1 ripe banana (140 grams)
• 3/4 cup (198 grams) peanut butter (sugar free, no xylitol)
• 1/2 cup sugar-free, no xylitol strawberry jam
• Optional ingredients: 1 Tablespoon molasses, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Place oats in food processor and blend until it resembles coarse flour
3. Add banana and peanut butter to food processor and blend until it forms a cohesive dough
4. Roll dough into Tablespoon-sized balls and place on lined cookie sheet
5. Create an indentation in the center of each cookie with your thumb
6. Spoon about 1/2 teaspoon jam into center of each cookie
7. Bake about 15 minutes, or until cookies turn golden brown
8. Remove from oven and let cool before eating

Sugar-free strawberry jam

Yield: 1 cup strawberry jam

Ingredients

• 1 pound strawberries
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 1 1/2 teaspoon chia seeds

Directions

1. Hull strawberries and place in saucepan with water, cover with lid.
2. Bring to simmer and heat on medium-low for about 30 minutes, checking periodically to make sure it isn't heating too fast and nothing is burning. The strawberries should start breaking down.
3. Remove lid from pan and continue to simmer strawberries on medium-low for another 30 minutes, or until strawberries are completely brown down and it resembles jam.
4. Remove pan from heat and stir in chia seeds.
5. Store jam in jar and cool in refrigerator before using.